1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a case display apparatus allowing it to seamlessly view diagnostic images captured at different times.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a known technique, a case display apparatus includes a storage unit that stores a time series of 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional first image data and second image data over a particular period of image capture time, a setting unit that sets a first portion of interest for the first image data and a second portion of interest, anatomically substantially identical to the first portion of interest, for the second image data at each phase in a plurality of phases in the particular period according to an instruction given by a user or via image processing, a correlating unit that correlates the set first portion of interest and the second portion of interest for each phase in the plurality of phases, and an image registration unit that makes an image registration between the first image data and the second image data according to a relative positional relationship between the correlated first portion of interest and the second portion of interest for each phase in the plurality of phase (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-177494).
In another known technique, an examination information displaying apparatus includes an acquisition unit that acquires examination information on a target person including a medical image captured by a medical imaging apparatus and attribute information attached to the examination information in terms of an examination date, an attribute indicating an examination item, or an attribute specific to the subject, and a display unit that displays the examination information acquired by the acquisition unit, wherein the examination information displaying apparatus further includes a generation unit that generates a history area defined by two axes including a first axis associated with one piece of attribute information of the plurality of pieces of attribute information and a second axis associated with attribute information different from the one piece of attribute information, and a display controller that controls displaying such that the examination information is displayed at corresponding coordinate positions of the first and second axes in the history area in the display screen of the display unit (see International Publication No. 2011/122401).
In diagnosis, doctors not only examine the 3-dimensional shape of a lesion or a disease state but also compare them with diagnostic images captured in the past. For example, by comparing a current image with a past image, it is determined whether the lesion tends to increase in size. This operation is called comparative reading. An increasingly large number of medical images are taken in digital form, and accordingly there is a need for a technique to efficiently perform comparative reading.